Learn, Relax and Enjoy - 21

Contronyms
also known as ‘autantonyms’ or ‘Janus words’ are words which have two opposite
meanings, according to the context in which they occur.

For example, with can
mean ‘alongside’ in ‘Come with me’ but ‘against’ or ‘in opposition to’ in ‘Hannibal fought with the
Romans’. And remember the pharmacist who unwisely advertises that he ‘dispenses
with accuracy’! Can you identify these contradictory words?

1)To
spray with powder or remove dust from.

dust
(the aircraft dusted the fields; Have you dusted this room?).

2)Sanctified
or damned.blessed
(Blessed are the meek; I’m blessed if I will!).

3)Open
to everybody or open to a restricted number of people.public (public building; public school).

4)Not
good or very good.bad
(That was a bad move; He’s a real bad singer).

5)Add
to or remove from.trim (She trimmed
the dress with lace; Trim the pastry round the edge).

6)To
open or shut.draw
(curtains).

7)Move
gracefully or move clumsily.trip
(She tripped across the fields; He tripped over the carpet).

8)To
stick together or split apart.

cleave
(‘Shall a man cleave unto his wife?’ Genesis 2; You can cleave the log in two
with an axe).

9)A
duty to notice things or a failure to notice things.

oversight
(She has the oversight of the works; My failure to check the meter was simply
an oversight).

10)Remaining
or departed.left
(There is one cake left; She has just left).

11)That
moves quickly or that does not move.fast
(a fast horse runs; a fast colour does not run).

12)Very
enthusiastic about something or very annoyed at it.mad or wild.

13)A
three word phrase which means ‘to like more’ or ‘to like less’.think better of (I think better of
him after he saved the cat; I have thought better of telling my boss he’s a
fool).

14)Acceptance
and approval or disapproval and punishment.

sanction
(The king gave his sanction; They imposed sanctions on the warring parties).

no
question (There is no question that he is stupid; There’s no question of my
giving in).

17)A
two-word phrase meaning a small leap or a massive leap.quantum leap (In physics, this name means a sudden change in
an atom or molecule; in general use it means a huge change).

18)A
two-word phrase meaning to stop something and to start something

wind
up (The company was wound up; The clock started when I wound it up).

A+1Latin abbreviation used for after ChristAD

A+2to join or put togetherADD

A+3a dull, continuous painACHE

A+4a pleasant smellAROMA

A+5fearfulAFRAID

A+6very, very oldANCIENT

A+7the letters used in writing a languageALPHABET

A+8the special car to take sick people to
hospitalAMBULANCE

A+9machines that keep an airplanes on courseAUTOPILOTS

A+10a meeting set for acertain time and placeAPPOINTMENT

A+10not preciseAPPROXIMATE

A+9their jobs are to go into outer spaceASTRONAUTS

A+8someone who is addicted to alcoholALCOHOLIC

A+7a purple precious stoneAMETHYST

A+6a written piece in a paperARTICLE

A+5the 8th month of the yearAUGUST

A+4to let something happenALLOW

A+3my mothers sisterAUNT

A+2it is between the hand and the shoulderARM

A+1abbreviation for a air conditionerAC

Alfred Nobel-Swedish Inventor of Dynamite

The
discovery of dynamite enabled Nobel to become rich and get fame as days passed.

Nobel
was enjoying all the comforts of life with his fortune of about 2 million
dollars accrued from his patent for his invention and also from his oil wells
at Baku in Russia.

An
incident that took place at that time changed his outlook on his life and his
attitude towards people.

One
fine morning when Nobel was reading the day’s newspaper he came across a shocking
news item. His name appeared in the obituary column and it read, “Dynamite king
dies…………..He was also the merchant of
death”.

The
Swedish inventor wanted dynamite to be used for peaceful purposes- open up new mines, break rocks, help build
railroads and highways.

Butnations of the world put these explosives to
a far more destructive use in war.

Nobel
did not take any legal action against the newspaper. He started planning how
best he could be remembered and honored in the future. He believed that his
wealth should belong to the people worldwide and help raise the excellence of
human groups and their culture.

Birth
of Coca - Cola

Dr.
John S Pemberton was always experimenting with new elixirs, cooking them in an
old three-legged cauldron (large kettle). In 1896 on a fateful spring day, he
made a mixture of sugar water, various natural essences and flavorings.

A
friend who sampled it cried, ”you hit the jackpot(prize money) – call it
Coca-Cola.”

Pemberton
died poor after selling out his secret, but the formula has made thousands of
millions of dollars.